Our journey to becoming net zero

Here at Equestrian Surfaces, we are proud to be the market leader in the provision of sustainable surface solutions within the equine industry. Our entire business exists because of our ability to regenerate something that is primarily considered a waste product and repurpose it into something that is not only useful but practical, durable and reliable. 

We have, therefore, had green initiatives at the forefront of what we do for several years. 

However, over the last couple of years, we have made significant investments and interventions to further boost our sustainability, reduce our carbon footprint, and eventually become Net Zero.

All of this hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed – and in June, we were lucky enough to be recognised by The Red Rose Awards, as successful winners of the RRA ‘Green Award’! Similarly, we’ve also been kindly nominated for the quirkily named ‘Planet Protector’ award at next year’s Freshies Awards. 

Last month, we were visited by the fantastic Rob Singleton and Rupert Blackstone – who led an excellent workshop for our team, where we set goals that will allow us to move towards becoming Net Zero.  

What is Net Zero?

Net Zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gases produced, and the amount removed from the atmosphere. We will be considered to have achieved ‘Net Zero’ when the amount of greenhouse gases we produce is no more than the amount we take away. Net Zero is the best way to tackle climate change by reducing global warming.

What have we done so far in our journey to becoming Net Zero?

Introducing Electrical Vehicles (EV)

In 2020, we provided four of our sales staff with electric vehicles to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The result of this change is that we have since reduced our carbon footprint by 300,000 miles – or 157.875 tonnes of CO2 within the last two years. The remaining two sales cars are set to be replaced by the end of 2023!

Relocating our mixing yard to reduce our carbon footprint

In a commitment to further reduce our carbon footprint, in 2019, we moved our mixing yard from Burnley to Cheshire to be within one mile of our sand supplier. Previously, it took us over an hour to transport the sand to our mixing yard, and nowadays, it takes less than three minutes. This has saved over 324,000 miles, reducing our CO2 emissions by 459.315 tonnes during this time of HGV travel and will allow us to save over 140 tonnes of CO2 per annum. 

Upgrading our facilities

In 2017, we replaced the on-site diesel generator with a 1000kVA substation and state-of-the-art electric control room. We also upgraded all lighting systems to LED and installed a 125KW solar panel system onto the roof of our facility. This has further reduced the amount of fossil fuels we use in order to power our facilities. 

Carpet fibres 

Since 2008, we have saved over 60,000 tonnes of waste carpet fibres from ending up in landfills. Each year an enormous 400,000 – 500,000 tonnes of carpet waste goes into UK landfills each year. Here at Equestrian Surfaces Ltd, we recycle our waste carpet and turn this back into a usable product – which reduces carbon emissions by up to 65%. We’re advocates for a ‘circular economy’, which is a powerful tool to help mitigate climate change. 

What are our plans going forward?

We have an exciting few months ahead of us here at Equestrian Surfaces! In our bid to become Net Zero, we have numerous exciting projects underway that we are hoping will have a positive impact on our carbon footprint.

Over the next few months, we have several meetings, workshops, and assessments planned that centre around implementing Electric HGV vehicles into our fleet, accurately calculating our current carbon footprint, and, most importantly, creating a robust strategy for the future, in order to succeed in our mission – so watch this space!